Sports category, Page 1042
Jordan Taylor, Jenson Button to make NASCAR debuts at COTA: See betting picks, odds
BY SPENCER URQUHART | Home Field Sports The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Circuit of the Americas in Austin for the third time in as many years, and it projects to be an intriguing race with multiple outside drivers making their NASCAR debuts. IMSA sports car star Jordan Taylor will...
Playing for Team USA in WBC an ‘awesome experience’ for Pirates All-Star David Bednar
A beaming David Bednar showed off his silver medal from the World Baseball Classic on Thursday and called playing for Team USA an “awesome experience, top to bottom.” The Pittsburgh Pirates All-Star closer, interviewed on AT&T SportsNet during a Grapefruit League game against the Boston Red Sox, said playing in...
South Carolina’s leading scorer Jackson heads to NBA draft
COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina leading scorer Gregory “GG” Jackson II said Friday that he’s entering the NBA draft after one season in college. The 6-foot-9 freshman said on Instagram Live that his year in college with the Gamecocks helped him mature. “Now, I’m declaring for the NBA draft, just...
Sakamoto defends women’s title at figure skating worlds
SAITAMA, Japan — Kaori Sakamoto fended off a challenge from South Korea’s Lee Hae-in on Friday to become the first Japanese woman to defend her title at the figure skating world championships. Sakamoto, who led after the short program, made only one mistake in Friday’s free skate at Saitama Super...
Euro 2024 host Germany looks to rebuild after World Cup
DÜSSELDORF, Germany — Another World Cup failure, another rebuild for Germany. This time there’s even more at stake. Germany will host next year’s European Championship and is desperate to avoid another debacle at home. The Germans once took pride in having a “tournament team,” one that could put distractions aside...
Ukraine pushes for continued Russian Olympic exclusion
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine renewed its push to keep Russian athletes out of the Olympics on Friday ahead of an International Olympic Committee board meeting next week which is expected to set the framework for their return to international sports events. Vadym Guttsait, who is Ukraine’s sports minister and leads...
Unwelcome spotlight falls on NHL team Pride night events
Pride nights, held annually for several years by National Hockey League teams to show support for the LGBTQ community, are in the spotlight following several high-profile incidents this season. A handful of players have objected to participating in pregame warmups that included Pride-themed jerseys, most recently Florida’s Eric and Marc...
Tim Benz: World Baseball Classic raises a debate about MLB’s pitch clock worth discussingVideo
Major League Baseball is already making tweaks to the pitch clock. ESPN’s Jeff Passan outlined all of them contained in a memo published by MLB. Most of it is common sense minutia. Things like allowing more time for batters to get set after getting brushed back or pitchers to get...
Florida Atlantic makes first Elite Eight, bounces Tennessee
NEW YORK — When the horn sounded on the greatest victory in the history of Florida Atlantic athletics, Nick Boyd and Bryan Greenlee hopped onto the press row table to celebrate. Instead of going to the locker room, some of the Owls players made their way up into the stands...
Gonzaga beats UCLA 79-76 in Sweet 16 on Strawther’s shot
LAS VEGAS — Gonzaga and UCLA played one NCAA Tournament game that left the Zags’ star player bawling, and another game that stunned the Bruins. Add another to the list. Maybe the maddest one in March yet. Julian Strawther hit a 3-pointer with 7.2 seconds left to answer a 3-pointer...
With goaltender Tristan Jarry sidelined again, Penguins fall to Stars
The Pittsburgh Penguins are most certainly paying attention to other games in the NHL. After all, they haven’t played well enough to this point of the 2022-23 season to afford themselves the luxury of indifference to the rest of the league. “Everybody scoreboard watches a little bit this time of...
UConn a step from Final Four after 88-65 blowout of ArkansasVideo
LAS VEGAS — Jordan Hawkins scored 24 points for UConn, and the Huskies are one step away from the Final Four after an 88-65 rout of Arkansas 88-65 in a West Region Sweet 16 matchup Thursday. The fourth-seeded Huskies (28-8) will play the winner of UCLA or Gonzaga in an...
Nowell breaks NCAA assist record, Kansas State beats Michigan State in OTVideo
NEW YORK — Markquis Nowell broke the NCAA Tournament record for assists in a game with 19, his last two on spectacular passes in the final minute of overtime, and Kansas State beat Michigan State, 98-93, on Thursday night in a Sweet 16 thriller at Madison Square Garden. Playing in...
John Tortorella earns 700th career win as Flyers top WildVideo
PHILADELPHIA — James van Riemsdyk scored the only goal in a shootout, and the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Minnesota Wild, 5-4, on Thursday night for coach John Tortorella’s 700th career victory. Tortorella is 700-573-181 in 1,454 games as an NHL head coach. His 700 wins rank 12th in NHL history,...
Phillies’ Rhys Hoskins tears ACL, expected to miss significant timeVideo
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins needs surgery for a torn ACL after injuring his left knee Thursday fielding a grounder in a spring training game and is expected to miss a significant amount of time. The Phillies did not say when Hoskins would have the surgery...
Rory McIlroy powers his way to another win in Match PlayVideo
AUSTIN, Texas — Rory McIlroy had every reason to love the long ball Thursday. Taken to the 18th hole in the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, McIlroy unleashed the shot of the tournament. He smashed a drive on the 375-yard closing hole so magnificently that it pitched on the green and...
Soundtrack of this year’s March Madness begins with ‘CLANK!’Video
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Folks across the country watching the first round of the NCAA Tournament last week thought it rightfully funny when they saw a couple of stadium workers scurry up a ladder and place a construction level across the rim. Turns out Iowa State players, puzzled by their...
Sloppy racing could make it tough for NASCAR road ringersVideo
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The NASCAR field Sunday will be stacked with two former Formula One world champions, an IndyCar driver and a sports car star who has a 24 Hours of Le Mans win on his resume. What can these so-called ringers expect on the road course at Circuit of...
Track bans transgender athletes, tightens rules for Caster SemenyaVideo
Track and field banned transgender athletes from international competition Thursday, while adopting new regulations that could keep Caster Semenya and other athletes with differences in sex development from competing. In a pair of decisions expected to stoke outrage, the World Athletics Council adopted the same rules as swimming did last...
Blackhawks won’t wear Pride jerseys, citing new Russian lawVideo
The Chicago Blackhawks, who have a Russian player, have decided against wearing special warmup jerseys to commemorate Pride night, citing an anti-gay Kremlin law that could imperil Russian athletes when they return home. The Blackhawks, who also have two players with connections to Russia, will not wear the jerseys before...
Super Bowl-winning former Steelers assistant Tom Moore gets honor from Hall of Fame
At no one place did Tom Moore spend more time as a coach than with the Pittsburgh Steelers. And for a career that spans more than six decades – and counting – Moore has been selected for a special honor by the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Moore, a former...
Johan Oviedo strikes out 7 but Red Sox hit a trio of 2-run homers to sink Pirates
Trouble came in twos for the Pittsburgh Pirates against the Boston Red Sox, who hit a trio of two-run homers. On the strength of homers by Bobby Dalbec, Ronaldo Hernandez and Jorge Alfaro, the Red Sox beat the Pirates, 7-4, on Thursday afternoon in a Grapefruit League game at LECOM...
Blake Zubovic, Jake Kradel return for final opportunity on Pitt’s offensive line
Blake Zubovic was honest about the 2022 Pitt football season. “It was a good year,” he said. “Nine wins, you know, it doesn’t happen that often.” But he was sweating inside Pitt’s indoor practice facility Thursday after the fifth day of spring drills for a specific reason. “We felt there...
New inside linebacker Cole Holcomb believes he fits in nicely with Steelers tradition
Cole Holcomb’s memory of his first trip to the former Heinz Field is about as fuzzy as the mullet he proudly wears down to his shoulders. He hopes to make up for it by creating some lasting ones now that he’s a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The 26-year-old inside...
Pirates tout new enhancements to PNC Park to improve fan experience
The Pittsburgh Pirates are rolling out new enhancements to PNC Park, from a bigger LED scoreboard and better sound system to a speedier fan entry screening, in an effort to improve the fan experience. “Obviously, we start with the ‘Best Ballpark in America’ with PNC Park,” Pirates president Travis Williams...
